All right, I want you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Mark. Book of
Mark, chapter 5. Well-known passage of scripture. It's about a woman that had an
issue of blood, a 12-year flow of blood. And this is an account truly
of our Lord's compassion, the great physician that heals the
sick, and the lost He came to save. That's what we just sang
about. Ultimately, though the Lord does heal her, this is a
beautiful account. of the mercy of Almighty God
to save one that He everlastingly loved, chose in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Let's begin reading Mark chapter
5. Let's read verses 25 through 34. And a certain woman, which had
an issue of blood, 12 years, and had suffered many things
of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing
bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus,
came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she
said, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain
of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she
was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing
in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about
in the press and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples
said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and
sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to
see her that had done this thing, but the woman, fearing and trembling,
knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him
and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter,
thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and behold of thy
plague. This is said to be about a certain
woman. You know every time we read in
the scriptures, and that word certain is in that passage of
scripture. There's always something to take
note of. This woman had a plague, a disease,
for which she could not find any relief. She'd been suffering,
the scripture said, for 12 years. She had an issue of blood that
would not stop. And she was trying to get some
relief. Scripture said she went to many
physicians, but she had gotten no help whatsoever. In fact,
it says a certain woman, verse 25, had an issue of blood, and
had suffered many things. She had actually experienced
some painful treatments. That's what the word means. She
suffered. She actually suffered many things of many positions
and not only were the treatments painful, but now she's broke. And now her situation It's worse. It got worse than it was after
all the treatments. And what made the situation more
pitiful for this woman was that now she was an outcast from the
temple. She couldn't go to the place
of worship. Can you imagine? I got to reading that again,
going over my notes, and I thought to myself, what would I do if
I didn't have you? What would I do if I didn't have
your fellowship? Your friendship? What would I
do? What if I was cast out? Ostracized? Put away? Separation? It's so sad. Hold your place right there.
Turn over to Leviticus 15. Her situation was dealt with. In God's law, Leviticus 15 verse
19 to 25, now here's what it says, it says, If a woman have
an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be
put apart seven days, and whosoever touches her shall be unclean
until the evening. And everything that she lieth
upon in her separation shall be unclean, everything also that
she sitteth upon shall be unclean. Whosoever touches her bed shall
wash his clothes, bathe himself with water, and be unclean until
the evening. Whosoever touches anything that
she sat upon shall wash his clothes, bathe himself in water, and be
unclean until the evening. If it be on her bed, or anything
that touches whereupon she sitteth, When he toucheth it, it shall
be unclean till the evening. If any man lie with her at all,
her flowers be upon him. He shall be unclean seven days.
All the bed whereon he lies shall be unclean. If a woman have an
issue of blood many days out of the time of her separation,
or if it run beyond the time of her separation, all the days
of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation. She shall be unclean. Twelve years. Twelve years this
woman was put out. The issue of blood was a picture
of the plague of sin. That plague of sin that has separated
man from God. This is what the scripture says,
Isaiah 59-2. But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from
you that He will not hear. Twelve years this woman could
not go anywhere without polluting everything that she touched,
everything she sat on. whoever touched her or touched
something that she had touched. Sin's defilement is unimaginable. There's nothing that we come
in contact with. Nothing that has not been polluted
by sin. And this woman set apart. And what she was doing is she
was going She was doing the best thing she knew to do. She went
to where she thought she might get some help. She went, the
scripture says, now she suffered many things, verse 26, from many
physicians. And spent all that she had, was
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. These many physicians,
these are pictures and types of all man-honoring, self-seeking,
works-oriented, false preachers. There was a bunch of them. And
they all had their particular remedy. I'll tell you how I can heal
you. You do this, this. Let's do this, this, and this.
And this one says, no, no, no, no, no. He's wrong. This is what
you do. They promise healing, but they're no healers at all. She suffered. They're like those
that the Lord spoke to. Hold your place. Turn to Matthew
23, 13. Matthew 23, 13. They're like those that claim
to be spiritual healers. Matthew 23, 13-15. The Lord speaking, He said, Woe,
judgment, curse. Woe upon you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites. You play actors. That's what
He told them. You are pretenders. We used to play play like. Let's
play like. That's what you are. He said,
you're nothing. You just play lights. That's all you are. You
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for ye neither go
in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to
go in. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You devour widows' houses, and
for a pretense you make long prayer. Oh, you appeal to everybody. You know, this ministry is going
to shut down. We can't get, we gotta raise so and so and they
appeal, especially the widows. And to make it all better, you
have these long prayers. Make it like you're so spiritual.
He said you're just a bunch of hypocrites, all you are. You
devour widows' houses and for a pretense, you make this long
prayer. Therefore you shall receive the
greater damnation. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You compass sea and land to make
one proselyte, and when he's made, you make him twofold more
the child of hell than yourselves. They're not converted. You teach
them your false doctrine. And now they've got a little
bit of knowledge, thinking they know something. And they're not
like you are. You don't want to expose yourself. So you get these ruffians, those
of the baser sort. And he said, you get them, and
they're two-fold more the children of hell than you are, before
men. He said, you're nothing but hypocrites. And he said, you get them a little
knowledge, and you tell them they're saved. And he said, all
you're doing is getting them to do your dirty work. That's
all you're doing. Like those they got for the Lord,
before the Lord. They tried to get some witnesses. And they couldn't even get some
witnesses to agree. They had to have at least two
in agreement to convict somebody. They couldn't convict the Lord
on anything because nobody agreed. Finally, they found two men that
would say, we heard that He said, you destroy this temple and I'll
build it again. I'll raise it back up in three
days. Two of them agreed on that. And they jumped all over that.
And they said, well, let's crucify him for saying that then. He
said, you're just a bunch of pretenders. That's all you are.
Look at Matthew 23. Matthew 23, verse 27 to 31. She had gone to all of these
many physicians. And that, again, that's just
a picture. of false preachers. Matthew 23, verse 27 to 31. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites. You're like unto whited sepulchers,
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full
of dead men's bones, all in cleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear
righteous unto men, but within you're full of hypocrisy. Iniquity? Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You build the tombs of prophets
and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, if we'd
been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers
with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore, be you witnesses
unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them that kill
the prophets." He said, no, you hate God's preachers. You say
we'd have never done that, but you don't. What this woman suffered
naturally from these many physicians was a picture of the abuse that
the religions of this world inflict upon those who are sincerely
ignorant. They're sincerely ignorant. They
look for spiritual help everywhere except in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. So she tried all of these remedies,
and she was bankrupt. I mean, she was busted. She's
worse off than she was. She's put out of the temple.
She's broke. And she was doing what she thought
was the right thing. And with all of her efforts,
no better, Spent all that she had, was nothing bettered, but
rather grew worse. And now at her lowest point,
we see something of the indescribable mercy of God to one of His own. Look at Mark 5 verse 27-29. When
she had heard of Jesus, and boy, there's a hope, isn't it? of Jesus. She heard the truth. She came in the press behind
and touched his garment. For she said if I may touch but
his clothes I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain
of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she
was healed of that plague. Now how she heard we're not told. All we're told is that she heard. We know that that hearing obviously
was blessed to that woman by the Spirit of God because she
believed what she heard. The Lord had given her faith.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. That's
why I say so often, it's so important, so important. Hear the word of
the Lord. Hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Hear the message of life in Christ. But this woman, the scripture
said when she heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind. Now obviously, her faith was
weak faith in the sense that It was true faith. She came in
the press. But the scripture says she came
in the press behind. She came behind. She came from
the back. She came from the rear. That's
what it's saying. That's what it means. She came in behind
him. Obviously, her feeling of unworthiness. I mean, this was an embarrassing
thing to her. She was in the midst of all these
people and she's not supposed to be touching anybody. This
woman's desperate. She's desperate. You find somebody
that's desperate. Desperate for Christ. If I don't
have Him, I'm going to perish. Listen, we are so prone, all
of us, we just take it or leave it. Have you ever noticed that?
We've got that attitude in us. All of us do. And we just...
It's so sad, old wretched man, that we all are. This woman though,
she came in the press behind. She was trying to come in secret. I'm going to come in secret.
But I know this, if I could touch his garment, there was a sense
in which her faith was evidence to be strong, but it was weak. Now can we not experience that?
I believe, I believe, but Lord help me. Help me. The Lord has said, all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. And this woman was coming.
She was coming and she was obviously willing in the day of God's power,
but this woman, she needed Him. She needed Him. I'm broke. I'm desperate. Like Peter, he's sinking. Lord save me or I'll perish.
I'm gone. What a safe place to be. I've
got to have Him. I'm going to perish without Him.
And she comes in the press knowing if I may touch Verse 28, but
his clothes. I shall be whole. And the scripture declares that
this woman is coming. Now here's what the law says.
Cast her out. The law says get out of here. Many physicians say you come
to me and I'll show you how to make yourself clean by my remedy,
by my works, your works. But the Lord says, come unto
me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. The Lord says you are unclean. And
by faith, this woman believed in her heart, if I touch him,
I'm going to be whole. In touching him she knew and
she believed. When she did, the scripture says
in verse 29, straightway she touched him and the fountain of her blood
was dried up and she felt in her body, she knew what it felt
like for 12 years to have an issue of blood. She knew what
that felt like. She felt the effects of it. She
felt the evidence of it. And she touched Him and she knew
it quit. She knew in her body that she
was healed. No sooner had she touched the
Lord Jesus' clothes, it stopped. When faith is imparted, God's
vessels of mercy, they know. I believe Him. I think so often about that thief
on the cross. How long was he talking? Scripture
doesn't record that he talked very long. I can tell you that.
There wasn't a whole long conversation. But I tell you what. When faith
was imparted to that thief, he believed and he knew it. He believed and he knew it. And
he said, Lord, when you enter into your kingdom, would you
remember me? That eunuch that Philip crossed
paths with out there in the desert, in the wilderness, he's reading
along. Philip's bashing him, you understand
what I'm reading? How can I? Except some man explained it
to me. Starting at that passage right there, Philip preached
on Him, Jesus. And that Ethiopian eunuch saw
some water. He said, what doth hinder me
to be baptized? And Philip said, if you believe with all your
heart, Jesus is the Son of God. He said, I believe that. I believe
that. He baptized Him. Whenever God
Almighty crosses paths with one and grants faith, they know it.
They know it. They don't think the same anymore.
They believe that Christ Jesus is the way. This is the way.
It wasn't the way I thought it was. This is the way. He's the
truth. He's the life. And I know this. I can't come to the Father but
by Him. They say like Peter. The Lord
asked him, said, will you go away also? You go with them. Peter said, Lord, to whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe
and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God. What twelve years of going to
these self-proclaimed physicians couldn't do in an instant, the
Lord Jesus Christ accomplished. I do know this, God's people
do grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, but when
God Almighty imparts faith, they believe. They believe. Hebrews
10.22 said, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water. Verse 31, And Jesus immediately,
knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him
about in the press, and said, Who touched My clothes? And His
disciples said unto Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging
Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me? Now I want you to notice
the omniscience of our Lord. when the touch of faith. Now,
he was being touched. I mean, he was in the press.
They were around him, bumping him, coming, you know, bump here
and there, you know. But someone had touched him by
faith. Faith that he had given. And
faith that he knew to whom he had given faith. And the omniscient
God of all grace, mercy and compassion to an everlastingly loved people
knew, this is amazing to me, virtue. He said, someone touched
me for virtue, power, strength. That true force and might and
ability, He said, I perceive. virtue has gone out of me. Virtue
that would never be diminished went out of him. And according
to his good pleasure to have his people confess him, before
men he asked this, who touched my clothes? Now he didn't ask
that for information. He did that for that woman's
good and for those that were all around him. He knew whom
he had given the faith. He did this that that woman might
herself make confession of the whole matter, so that the power
of her faith, the greatness of that miracle might be manifested,
that it might be to the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whosoever,
He says, shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess
before My Father which is in heaven. We confess the Lord,
don't we? We do confess Him. We confess Him. We believe Him. We trust Him. Now this is the
reason we submit to believer's baptism. Not for salvation, but
because of salvation. It's the Lord's pleasure that
His people confess Him. So verse 32, His disciples had
asked Him, everybody's touching Him, what do you mean? Verse
32 it says, And He looked round about to see her that had done
this Now this certain woman, a woman upon whom the Master
had brought a work of grace, she was alarmed. Here she is, verse 33, the woman
fearing, trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell
down before Him and told Him all the truth. Here's what's
happening, the Lord turned around, And the scripture says he looked
round about, that is, perceiving with understanding. When he said
he looked, he wasn't looking to try to figure out who she
was. He knew who she was, but when it says the Lord looked
round about, again, not for casual observation, trying to figure
something out, but the word there is to know and perceive with
understanding. He looked round about to see
her. That is, that to see her here
is a word that means to gaze with wide open eyes something
that is remarkable. What a word! To look upon something
that is remarkable. He beheld this woman to whom
he had absolutely performed a miracle. And this woman now, the Lord
is looking at her, and this woman is afraid. This woman is trembling. Why? Because she knew what had
been done in her. She had come in the press behind. This is going to be a secret
matter. I'm going to touch his garment, and I'm going to be
whole, and I'm going to just kind of slip away into the shadows. And I'm not going to say anything
to anybody. Nobody's going to know. But according
to the Lord's mercy, Almighty God arrested this woman in the
place where she was, and she was alarmed. in the awe of Him. She knew what her heart wanted
to do. She fell down before Him and
now it's not a secret anymore. She fell down before Him and
she just bore her heart. She told Him all the truth. She acknowledged the Lord Jesus
to be who He is. and told him that which he certainly
knew but now was heavy on her heart. She told him all the truth. She said, 12 years I've been
going through this. 12 years I've suffered with this
problem and she's just going to tell everybody. Twelve years,
and I've gone to all these physicians that have promised me all of
the remedy, and I've wasted all of my money. I don't have anything
else. I'm suffering. I'm worse off
than I was when I first started. And now, I've come today, and
I believe in my heart that you're the Christ. I believe that you're
the Son of the Living God. And my heart was drawn. I believed
in my heart that if I touched the hem of your garment, I was
going to be whole. I believed that. And I came and
I touched the hem of your garment. And as soon as I touched the
hem of your garment, I knew in my body, it was over. And I'm healed. I'm whole. And he said unto her, verse 34,
Daughter, you who are my daughter in electing
and adopting grace, daughter, thy faith, faith that is my gift
to you, thy faith, in me, who is the
object of your faith. According to that covenant of
grace, thy faith, me, has made thee whole. The one in whom your faith rests
has made you whole. Now I want you to go in peace,
knowing that your sins not merely the issue of your blood, but
that your sins, which is the reason for your suffering, your
pain, your separation from God, that's all over. Behold of thy
plague, not merely the plague of the issue of blood, but the
plague of sin and the debt, you're whole from that. There's therefore
now no condemnation to them which be in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the spirit." This woman had suffered
many years at many physicians. It was none the better just to
think how long that many of us have suffered many years listening
to many different positions, not all of us. I know there's
some here that's been blessed, have sat under the gospel all
your life, but until the Lord granted you faith, you didn't
believe either. But when it pleased God, who separated us from our
mother's womb, who called us by His grace, we believed. Daughter, thy faith hath made
thee whole. Go in peace. be healed by play. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen. All right, let's take a
few minutes break.